New study reveals 'cheat days' can badly affect memory
Bad news for hardworking gym junkies as new study reveals how ‘cheat days’ can badly affect your memory
- A new study shows bad food curbs memory
- Even ‘cheat days’ can undo hard work on diets
- Changes to gut microbiome may affect brain
A regular weekend indulgence of a pub schnitzel and chips could affect your memory and undo the good work of eating well, a new study has found.
Cycling between eating clean and cheating occasionally with junk food could impact on your spatial memory and do damage to the gut microbiome, causing people to gain weight, according to UNSW research published in Molecular Nutrition and Food Research.
The popular diet trend has become wildly popular for gym junkies with even celebrities like Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson regularly promoting his indulgent ‘cheat days’.
A regular weekend indulgence of a pub schnitzel and chips could affect your memory and undo the good work of eating well, a new study has found (pictured, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson who has promoted his own indulgent cheat days)
But the during the study, adult male rats were given a healthy diet of rat food, while some were given a ‘cafeteria diet’ of a highly processed and sugary foods.
Some of the rats were given unhealthy foods for shorter or longer binges.
Rats on unhealthy diets performed more poorly in ‘spatial memory’ tests, requiring them to recall where objects had been placed.
The results became worse the more days in a row the rats had eaten the unhealthy food, or had longer binges of junk food, researchers said.
Poor diet also led to negative changes in their gut microbiome, boosting the levels of bad bacteria associated with obesity and increasing those linked with an ability to control your weight.
It is possible a number of factors may have caused the change in diet to have affected the rats’ memories, including their gut microbiome, study researchers Mike Kendig and Margaret Morris say.
Poor diet also led to negative changes in their gut microbiome, boosting the levels of bad bacteria associated with obesity and increasing those linked with an ability to control your weight (stock image)
‘We know the gut is very connected to our brain. Changes to the microbiome in response to our diet might impact our brain and behaviour,’ Dr Morris said.
Eating an unhealthy diet could lead to additional inflammation in the body, affecting brain function, she said.
The study builds on previous research which associated high fat, high sugar diets with poorer cognition, in rats and humans.
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson indulges in a hefty ‘cheat meal’ including two large burgers and a bottle of TEQUILA after his workout
By Codie Bullen For Mailonline
He is known for hitting the gym to maintain his muscly physique.
But on on Sunday, Dwayne Johnson showed he can still enjoy an occasional ‘cheat meal’ as he shared a short clip with his 332 million Instagram followers of his first ever meal from American fast food chain In-N-Out.
The actor, 50, indulged on the junk food which included two enormous burgers with a mountain of fries on the side after his workout.
Health: Dwayne Johnson, who is known for his muscly physique, showed he can still enjoy an occasional ‘cheat meal’ as he shared a short clip with his 332 million Instagram followers on Sunday
In the video, Dwayne showed off the delicious food before knocking back a glass of tequila.
The Rock said: ‘It is Sunday, approximately 11pm, and it’s cheat meal Sunday for all of us around the world — certainly for me here.
‘And the reason why this is history in the making is because this is the very first time that I have ever tried an In-N-Out burger or In-N-Out fries, anything from In-N-Out for that matter.
‘As he began to tuck in, he continued: ‘I’ve never tried it before, so this is a first. The fries are good, so we’re off to a good start.’
Cheat meal: The actor, 50, indulged on the junk food which included two enormous burgers with a mountain of fries on the side after his workout
He seemed to enjoy what he tasted, penning on Instagram his first impression of the food chain: ‘A #cheatmealsunday for the history books! My first time ever eating @innout.
‘A solid start with a bite of good fries as we know s***ty fries can ruin the whole experience.
‘Pared the main course with a (quite delicious) combo pour of @Teremana Blanco & @Teremana Reposado – as founder, I make up the tequila rules.’
The star added a thumbs-up emoji, before adding: ‘This cheeseburger connoisseur will now add In & Out to ‘the list. Enjoy your cheat meals, my friends.’
The Rock said: ‘It is Sunday, approximately 11pm, and it’s cheat meal Sunday for all of us around the world — certainly for me here
Junk food: In the video, Dwayne showed off the delicious food before knocking back a glass of tequila
It’s surprising the actor has time to hit the gym given the number of new projects he has on his roster.
In the new animated film DC League of Super Pets, Dwayne lends his unmistakable voice to Krypto the Super-Dog, who shares the same incredible powers as his owner Superman.
Together they fight crime in Metropolis, but he’s tested like never before when Superman is kidnapped and Krypto has to save him… despite losing his own powers.
He forms a team of shelter animals who were given superpowers to help rescue Superman and the rest of the Justice League.
Johnson leads an all-star voice cast that includes his frequent collaborator Kevin Hart, Vanessa Bayer, Natasha Lyonne, Diego Luna, Marc Maron, Kate McKinnon, Keanu Reeves, Dascha Polanco, Ben Schwartz, Jemaine Clement, Daveed Diggs, Jameela Jami, Olivia Wilde and Thomas Middleditch.
Jared Stern and Sam Levine direct the animated superhero adventure, which will face the new film Vengeance in theaters plus the re-release of A24’s Everything Everywhere All At Once.
Box office prognosticators have projected an opening weekend between $40 million and $60 million for the animated adventure.
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